1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a bypass feeder in which a bypass tray is attached to an opening/closing unit of an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus to be movable between an open position and a closed position, and an image forming apparatus including the bypass feeder.
2. Related Art
Image forming apparatuses such as printers and copiers generally include a bypass feeder to feed sheets such as recording sheets and OHP (overhead projector) films loaded on a bypass tray to a sheet conveying path of an apparatus body. Known bypass feeders include a bypass tray attached to an opening/closing unit that opens a sheet conveying path of an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus.
The opening/closing unit includes a fulcrum at a lower part thereof, and therefore an upper part (a free end) of the opening/closing unit can open and close with respect to the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus. The opening/closing unit stands in an upright attitude in a unit closed state and remains in an inclined attitude in a unit open state. By changing the opening/closing unit from the unit closed state to the unit open state, a sheet or sheets jammed in the sheet conveying path can be removed easily.
The bypass tray includes a fulcrum at a lower part thereof, and therefore an upper part (a free end) of the bypass tray can open and close with respect to the opening/closing unit. The bypass tray stands in an upright attitude in a tray closed state and remains in an inclined attitude in a tray open state. By changing the bypass tray from the tray closed state to the tray open state, the bypass tray can load a sheet or sheets to be fed to the sheet conveying path.
However, in the bypass feeder of this type, when the opening/closing unit is changed to the unit open state while a sheet is or sheets are loaded on the bypass tray in the tray open state, the upper part of the bypass tray becomes lower than the lower part thereof wherein the fulcrum is disposed, and the sheet falls off the bypass tray.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP 2008-308329-A discloses a technique to prevent sheets from falling off a bypass tray. In this technique, an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus and the bypass tray are connected by a connecting member to regulate an angle of inclination of the bypass tray. With this configuration, the angle of inclination of the bypass tray does not become too great, and therefore the sheets loaded on the bypass tray are prevented from falling off the bypass tray.
However, in the configuration in JP 2008-308329-A employing the technique, one end of the connecting member is connected to the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, various units and components are disposed in the middle of a connecting path. Consequently, a complicated link mechanism is used in the configuration.